When you think about social media, Wikipedia is probably not the first thing that comes into mind. Many of us have used Wikipedia for school papers or just plain curiousity, but one thing is for sure, Wikipedia is taking over. With over 20 million articles in 10 different languages, Wikipedia has become social media's answer to the stuffy encyclopedias of old. Wikipedia is different in the sense that it allows anyone to contribute to the articles. While some articles are thoroughly researched with numerous references, others can be short, inaccurate, and most importantly, biased.
This week's reading analyzed corporate image on Wikipedia. Due to the social aspect of Wikipedia, corporations are finding that it's becoming increasingly harder to control what is being said on this popular information resource. While Wikipedia as an organization takes strides to ensure that the information posted on the site is as accurate as possible, it doesn't necessarily mean that companies will be pleased with the results. Many companies are finding that certain information that they don't necessarily want getting out to the general public (such as scandals and past PR disasters) are being posted on this site, and there is nothing that they can do about it. With Wikipedia, a disgruntled employee has just as much say as a top level executive. If a PR professional is not careful and does not monitor these messages carefully and effectively, a simple Google search can lead to a company's biggest fans...or their biggest enemies.
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